Improvement in paper-tube machines



C. B.- STILWELL.

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Paper-Tube Machine.

Patented July 30, 1878.

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IJV'VENTOR 2 SheetsL-Sheet. C. B. STILWELL. Paper-Tube Machine.

No. 206,631. Patented July 30, 1878.

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N- PETERS. FNOTO-LITHOGHAPHER, WASH! UNITE@- STATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES B. STILWELL, OF VOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ALFREDADAMS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, AND B. B. TAGGART, OF YVATER- TOWN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-TUBE MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 206,637, dated July 30,1878; application filed May 3, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES B. STILWELL, ofthe city and county of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for MakingPaper Tubes, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to mechanism by which a web or strip of paper isfed continuously from a roll past a pasting device, which applies thepaste in a continuous line to one side ofthe paper, near its edge, thenunder a depressing plate or shoe, and then between actuatingcompressing-rolls, the effect of the eonjoint operation of said shoe androlls being such, when the end of the strip is once folded into a tube,as to form a attened tube of uniform width simply by the strain upon thepaper as it is drawn through the machine, and by which the formed tubemay be severed into blanks.

The objects of Amy invention are to provide simple and positive meansfor changing, within narrow limits, the strip of paper into a attenedtube of uniform width; to provide simple and positively-acting pastingand folding devices; to provide simple and posit-ive mechanism forsevering the tube into desired lengths.

The subject-matter claimed is hereinafter specifically designated. A

The accompanying drawings illustrate all my improvements as embodied inone machine in the best way now known to me. Obviously, however, some ofthe improvements therein shown and herein described may be used withoutthe others, and, in machines differing somewhat in construction, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Figure l represents a plan or top view of so much of my improvedapparatus as is necessary to illustrate the subject-matter hereinclaimed, with a portion of the mechanism broken away to show otherportions more clearly. Fig. 2 represents a side view. of the same,partly in section. Fig. 3 represents a vertical longitudinal sectionthrough the apparatus; Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section, showingthe details of the paper-roll-adjustin g mechanism; Fig. 5, a verticalsection through the pasting apparatus; Fig. 6, a modification thereof,showing the paste-reservoir as having its base conformed to the curvedsurface of the tension-roller instead of being at.

Supports A A, mounted upon a bed-plate, B, carry friction-rollers b b bb, which support a shaft, C. This shaft is provided with cones c c, forsecuring the roll of paper thereon in a well-known way. The roll beingmounted, the shaft is laid in its bearings upon the frictionrollers b bb b, where it is adjusted so as to bring the paper roll in the properposition, eentrally between the uprights A A, in which place it isretained by adjustable stops D D7 against which the ends of the shaft Cabut, the stops being provided with arms d d, sliding in openings in theuprights, and held in the desired position by means of set-screws D D.

I have found the above-described apparatus to work well in practice; butother well known equivalent devices might be used with good ett'ect.

The strip of paper E is, by preference, passed down under a tension baror roller, F, over a horizontal plate, F, and around a bar or roller, G,whence it passes to a depressing shoe or plate, H, in this instance madeof one solid hat rectangular piece, projecting downward at an angle fromits supporting-piece h, secured between the uprights A A. The paper iscar ried under the lower edge of this plate, which is of a widthcorresponding to that of the tube to be made, and presents to the stripa squarecornered or sharp-edged surface, and thence upward to actuatingor feed rolls I I. Before it enters between these rolls the sides oredges of the paper are folded inward upon the central portion of thestrip so as slightly to lap each other.

It will be noticed that while the central portion of the strip travelsfrom the roll G to the feed-rolls by an indirect path formed by twostraight lines, making a sharp obtuse angle at the point where it comesin contact with the lower edge of the depressing-shoe, the edges of thestrip are drawn from the roll G to the feedrolls in a much more directline. The dis larice, therefore, traveled by the edges, being less thanthat traversed by the body or central portion of the strip, allows theslack thus formed in the edges ofthe paper naturally to assume thedesired form.

\Vhile, however7 the cxtreme edges of the paper are thus graduallyturned upward and inward between the roll t and the tcedrollers, thepaper which forms the edges of the tube is abruptly folded into atiattcned condition at the lower corners of the shoe simply bythe strainon the paper at these points. as it is continuously drawn underneath andaround the shoe. ln this instance. the strip of paper is shown asdctiectcd, after leaving the shoe, at an angle oi' forty-tive degreesfrom its pre vious line of travel. ly dctiecting it at this angle, andbending it sharply, as l do, at the lower corners ot' the shoe, l amenabled not only to dispense with the former heretofore cn'iploycd, butto complete the tube within a much shorter space than has heretoforebeen practicable,saiddistance, from the point where the paper begins tobend to the point where the tube is completed, heilig only one-thirdgreater than the width ot' the strip from which the. tube is ibrmed.

The angle of deflection of the paper obviously, however, may be variedwithin certain limits without affecting this mode of opera` tion; andthe deprcssingshoe might be a merc skeleton frame or a solid block, it'desired, the edges alone being the operative part.

To efi'ectually insure a sutiicicnt strain upon the paper at the properpoints, l cause it to bear against the corners ot' the shoe with apressure greater than that with which it bears against the middleportion ot' the lower edge of the shoe. The pressure at the corners isproduced, in this instance, by means of a friction-bar, K, secured uponthc bed-plate, the middle portion of which bar is cut away to allow' itsend surfaces to bear against the strip, to produce thc desired frictionon the paper at the corners of thc shoe. 'lhis friction-bar may beadvantageously made adiustable, or in the form of separate independenttingcrs, acting on the paper at the corners of the shoe.

Instead of the web ot' paper being fed over tension-rollers. ashercinbetbre described. friction might be applied to the paper roll,andthc strip of paper allowed to pass directly to the depressing-shoe, amlthe location of the pastebox corrcspolnlingly changed.

A pasting device consisting of a box or reservoir, 1, having an openingin its tiat hase, rests upon the strip ot' paper near one of its edges,the papel' heilig' supported underneath by the flat horizontal plate1"'. The paste-rcservoir is retained in proper position, in thisinstance, by an encompassing-framc, l, near its base, in which it isprevented from lateral displacement.

The paste contained by the reservoir, because ot' the opening in thebase, rests upon the paper, and is applied to itin a continuous linesimply by the action ot' drawing the strip underneath it, thc strip ofpaper virtually forming the bottom or a portion of the botm tom of thepaste-reservoir. The opening in the base of the reservoir regulates thewidth ofthe lino ot' paste, and an adinstable scraper or gatesiidingover a feed-oriccregulatcs the depth of the line of paste; for,it will be seen that on all sides of the bottom of the reservoir,except that in which the feed-orifice is made, the escape ot paste isprevented by the close adhesion of its flat bottom to the paper.

To guard against accidental derangement of the fold, and avoid thcpossible failure ot' the edges to turn inward, fingers L L', which maybe detachably and adjustably secured upon the bed-plate, are employed.These tingers project inwardly and upwardly over the deprcssingslme atan anglo of about forty-tive degrees, more or less, depending upon theangle of inclination of the folded strip in passing from the shoe to theaotuatingrolls, and bear upon the turned edges of tho strip between thcdepressingshoe and feed-rolls I I', and not only insure the properfolding of the edges, but the finger L also insures the pasted edge ofthc strip being folded inward upon the central part of the strip beneaththe other edge, which folds down upon it just before the tube enters thefeeding aml compressing rolls.

'hen it is desired to divide the tube into sections or blanks, the rolll is provided with a knife, M, preferably serrated, to puncture. orpartially sever the tube when the knife, duringl `each revolution of theroll, comes in contact with the tube. The tube passes from theaetnating-rolls between drawing-rolls N N', portions ot` the surfacesot' which are made of a diameter greater than the other parts of therolls, so as to produce an accelerated movement of the tube when theseenlarged portions come in contact withit.; and as this contact, underthe organi/.ation herein shown, takes place inst as the knife on one ofthe actuating rolls punctures the tube, the portion in advance ot' theknife is torn away froln the portion behind ity without stra-in uponsaid rear portion, and fed forward with au accelerated velocity, to gaintime for subsequent manipulations. 1n practice I have found this modeot' operation to secure uniformity in the lengths ot' the blanks, as itprevents any tendency to draw the paper through the actuating-rolls, assometimes occurs with a dull knife located on the drawing-rolls, asheretofore practiced.

I have found in practice simple elastic or yielding pads u n' to operateefticiently; and they are lunch simpler than the well-known acceleratedgearing, which might, however, be employed to produce the same result.

The operation of my improved apparatus will be obvious without furtherdescription.

By the foregoing description, it will be seen that I am enabled by myimprovements to dispense with tho pasting rollers, brushes, aml tapesheretofore employed, and to apply the paste directly, positively, andaccurately to thc strip by the mere passage of the paper across and indirect Contact with the mass of paste in the reservoir. I am alsoenabled to fold the strip accurately, without the use of a former, inless space than has heretofore been required, by the mere drawing actionof the paper in passing across a sharp-edged surface; and,f1nally, tosever the blanks accurately with a dull knife, and without strain uponthe tube in the process of formation.

I claiml. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, ofthe roll or shaft from which the paper is drawn, actuating-rolls orfeeding mechanism, and an inclined sharp-edged shoe intermediate thepaper roll and feeding mechanism, across the surface of which the stripis drawn and then deflected at an angle of about forty-five degrees fromits previous line of travel, whereby the strip is instantly doubled uponitself at the corners of the shoe simply by the strain on the paper.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the rollor shaft from which the paper is drawn, the pasting device, the feedingmechanism, and the inclined sharped ged shoe intermediate the pastingdevice and feeding mechanism, across the surface of which shoe the stripis drawn and then deflected at an angle of about forty-five degrees fromits previous line of travel, whereby the strip is dra-wn forward undertension, its edges pasted, and the strip then folded and its edgesunited, as set forth.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of thesharp-edged shoe, across the surface of which the strip is drawn, and afriction-bar on the side of the strip opposite to that next the shoe,whereby the strain on the paper is increased at the corners of the shoe,

and the edge folds formed by the conjoint operation of the shoe and bar.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a rollor shaft from which the paper is drawn, actuating-rolls or feedingmechanism for drawing the paper forward under tension, apaste-reservoir, a shoe having a straight edge of a length equal thewidth of the tube to be formed and terminating in square or sharpcorners, across which edge the strip is drawn intermediate the paperroll and the feeding mechanism and deflected at an angle of aboutforty-five degrees from its previous line of travel, and a finger whichguides one edge of the strip under the other, for the purposesspecified.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theshoe, the friction-bar, and the overhanging lingers, by the conjointoperation of which the fold is formed.

G. The combination of a roll or shaft from which the paper strip isdrawn under tension, a paste-reservoir for supplying paste to one edgeof the strip, an inclined sharp-edged or square-cornered shoe, acrosswhich the strip is drawn and deflected at an angle of about forty-tivedegrees to its previous line of travel, .actuating or feeding rolls, aknife carried by one of said rolls, and drawing-rolls, these membersbeing constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore set forth,whereby the strip is pasted, folded, pressed, and severed into blanks.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHAS. B. STILWELL.

Witnesses:

B. H. MORSE, F. STITH.

